Opposites Attract
by Omega Overlord
Summary: ONESHOT. Vayle Artix Artix is in denial, Vayle is scared to ask, and it is annoying everyone else. A warrior named Jake decides to MAKE them come to terms with each other, by any means necessary. First oneshot, read and review please.


Disclaimer: I do not own any characters of Artix entertainment portrayed within.

Artix von Krieger swung his axe in a wide arc and shattered three Shake Spear undead. Months, even weeks ago he would have been laughing and taunting his undead foes but after the destruction of Necro U… killing the undead felt more like a chore. Especially how he thought that some of these bony freaks could have been summoned by Vayle… Artix shook his head and focused more on the undead still in front of him; he couldn't keep Vayle off of his mind. She was a Necromantess however and it was his sworn mission to destroy those that brought the undead to life down.

A loud jovial voice caught his attention as he cleaved a zombie head, "Artix! Keep up would you?"

That would be his friend Jake. The warrior had returned Artix's axe to him, but only after making a dark copy of it. Jake was currently using that cursed DOOM weapon to crush a Bone Fire. Jake treasured his "Heartless Shadowreaper of Doom" and refused to have it purified no matter how many times Artix pressed him. He would admit though that Jake had well and truly mastered the weapon, after all, he was using it to kill the undead. On the subject of his friend Artix found himself wondering how exactly he had become friends with Jake…

The guy lived in Amityvale, used a DOOM weapon, had trained as both a necromancer and death knight, owned a darkness dragon named Bruno, and had a pet Doomkitten named Fluffy… HOW did he befriend the guy???

Artix shouted back, "I am keeping up!!! You're the one going slow!"

Jake twirled his DOOM weapon, "oh yeah? Watch this!"

The warrior buried his axe blade in the dirt and caused an explosion that not only obliterated the remaining undead, but also flung the selfsame warrior back against a tree.

Jake sat at the base of the tree rubbing his head and laughing, "Now THAT was fun!!!"

Artix walks over and hauls the warrior to his feet, "you keep doing that you're going to get yourself killed."

Jake slung his axe over his back, "yeah? What about you? This is the eighth time I've killed more undead than you in a single night, and you are using light. You have an edge on all those dumb skulls. Something is bothering you and I think I know what it might be."

Artix saw where Jake was going so he lied, "I'm just hungry. Nothing serious."

Jake gives him an odd look, "…ok. Then you're coming home and having dinner with me and Teresa!"

Teresa was Jake's wife, an affable, friendly mage that primarily used fire. Consequently she was quite good with a stove, regularly creating delectable dishes out of whatever Jake dragged out of the Doomwood Lake. Teresa was also good friends with Vayle and had made it her personal mission to track down Vayle after the destruction of Necro U. Teresa hadn't told Artix where she had found Vayle probably out of concern for Vayle's well being. To be fully honest with himself… Artix didn't think he could hurt Vayle even if she sent undead to kill him every day for the rest of his life.

Jake leads the way out through Doomwood into Amityvale proper. A quiet town where it was always night and the full moon shone overhead. Pretty… but it was swarming with undead. Jake's house was a rustic, gothic style house on the edge of the town.

Artix looked at it and shook his head, "big, creepy house in a little, creepy town… remind me why I'm friends with you?"

Jake started to laugh, "two reasons. Reason one: I saved your life from Noxus. Reason two: Teresa's cooking is irresistible. She could've stopped Akriloth's rampage with one plate of her scythefin flambé. Too bad you're allergic to any of the fish I get from the lake."

Artix grimaced and followed the warrior inside. It was true, anything that Jake fished out of the Doomwood Lake made Artix violently ill. The last time Artix had tried some of Teresa's Doomwood delicacies he had been in a coma for three days.

Jake shouted once they got inside, "Teresa! Artix is joining us for dinner!"

The red-headed mage sticks her head out of the kitchen door, "Jake could you come here for a moment?"

Jake hangs his axe next to the door, "Be right there! Artix, could you do me a huge favor and pull a zombiefish out of the aquarium for Fluffy? Thanks!"

The warrior runs into the kitchen before Artix could say anything, leaving the paladin standing with his mouth open in protest. There was a soft 'mew' from behind him and Artix turned to see Fluffy the Doomkitten sitting patiently by the fish tank, big yellow eyes staring expectantly at him. Artix knelt by the aquarium, trying to remember which one was the zombiefish. Was it the one with the huge mouth chasing the brainfin? Probably. The moment Artix sticks his armored glove into the tank the zombiefish stops chasing the brainfin and attempts to swallow Artix's hand. Thankfully the glove keeps Artix's hand attached to his arm. Artix pulls his glove out, flicks the fish between the eyes like Jake had shown him to do and the zombiefish promptly lets go and is eaten in one gulp by the Doomkitten before it hits the floor. Artix takes a seat in the foyer across the room from where Jake had hung his axe, Artix couldn't shake the feeling that the axe was glaring at him. Fluffy followed him from the tank, jumped up into his lap and started purring, giving the paladin a look that said quite clearly, "Pet me or you'll be sorry." Artix grudgingly started to scratch the Doomkitten behind the ear.

Jake walks out of the kitchen with a sheepish grin on his face, "heh heh, sorry buddy. Just thought I'd let you know that Teresa invited Vayle as well. Teresa made me tell you, give you the option of staying or leaving."

Artix stood quickly, upsetting Fluffy who hissed at him before scampering into the living room.

Artix scuffed the floor with his boots, "no I… I'll leave. Give Teresa my apologies."

Artix opens the door and in his haste to leave he plows into Vayle. The weight of his armor combined with his momentum drove both Vayle and him to the ground. Vayle landed on her back, Artix landed with his face neatly _in_ Vayle's chest.

Artix shoves himself up and sprints away, face blood red and axe clanging against his back. A slightly breathless Vayle props herself up onto her elbows. That was NOT how she had wanted to meet Artix again. She had wanted to… but on her back was not how she had imagined it. She had imagined something peaceful and quiet… not Artix tackling her while storming out of Jake's house and landing… where he had landed.

Jake looked out the door and saw her lying on the ground, "oh, hi Vayle… why are you on the ground?"

Vayle looked after Artix and back at Jake, "well… when Artix ran out he… he…. um…"

Jake looked after Artix, "well… guess he moves quickly huh?"

Vayle stared open mouthed at the warrior, "How… How dare you!!!"

She shot a blast of darkness at the warrior and Jake didn't even flinch, a purple crystal around his neck glowed and her darkness shot strung out and flowed into the crystal.

Jake gave her a knowing look, "got a little crush on holy boy now do we?"

Vayle got to her feet and ran down the path the opposite direction from which Artix had gone.

Jake watched Vayle run away back into the depths of Doomwood. Artix had run the opposite direction back to Falconreach.

Talking to no one in particular Jake voiced his thoughts, "Oh I have had enough of those two. One will not be in the same room with each other… someone should do something."

His dragon, Bruno lands behind him, now grown to the height of Jake's waist and twice as long as Zeuster, "What do you want to do?"

Jake cast's a look over his shoulder at the black dragon, "oh, I didn't see you there Bruno. Maybe… we need to sit the both of them down and _make_ them come to terms with each other…"

The dragon snorted, causing black flames to spew out, "you're going to need a lot of help."

Jake nods, "good point… we have some traveling to do I guess. But after dinner, Teresa is making her were-fish casserole. I can't miss that. But after that… yeah. We have a _lot_ of running around to do."

Two weeks later Artix was returning home to Falconreach after another unfulfilling quest of slaying the innumerable undead. He was still unable to get Vayle off of his mind. Infinitely more so after what had happened in front of Jake's house… how in all of Lore was it that Vayle had to have been right there when he ran out the door! Artix had never been more embarrassed in his entire life. What was driving him crazy was the look on her face just before they had collided. One of… happiness… like she was glad to see him. Of course that look had quickly turned to alarm as he plowed into her, and they couldn't have landed in a more stupid position. Vayle had looked shocked but not as appalled as he would have expected. Could she have forgiven him for the second death of her brother Edgar? Artix tripped over something in the road. He picked himself up and turned to see a black dragon's head rise up out of the bushes.

Artix recognizes the dragon, "Bruno?"

The dragon's tail waves in a friendly manner before something small and sharp impacts the side of his neck. Artix pulls out a small dart, looks at it, and blacks out.

At the same time Vayle was out back of her small house deep in Doomwood, disposing of the remains of her latest failed experiment. She had been finding herself unable to concentrate over the last two weeks. In the middle of summoning something she would think of Artix and lose control of the summon. Shortly after Noxus had been killed Vayle had realized the futility of hating Artix. He had had no way of knowing that it was she beneath the robes. She had, for all things, forgiven him. Of course… thinking of him all the time meant a great deal more than just brooding over unfortunate circumstance. Vayle was starting too really like him. Just… he was a paladin dedicated to the slaying of the dark, and you really couldn't get darker than a girl with the orb of darkness bound to her. She let out a deep, long sigh. Some things were just never meant to be she supposed. Vayle tossed the ruined bones into the pit behind her house and looked skyward to the moon high over the trees. This was the kind of night she had dreamed of recently with her and Artix involved. Just the two of them under the moon… Vayle heard a snap in the bushes behind her so she whirled and readied a blast of darkness, readied to obliterate whatever it might be that might try and sneak up on her. Out of the bush crept… a bunny?????? She lowered her guard and was tackled from behind by someone big and heavy. Her hands were tied and she caught a glimpse of a cracked dragon mask and some long, purple hair before a black bag was slipped over her head.

Artix slowly came to, with a pounding headache. He slowly realized that he was sitting in a chair but that was all he could see. Everything else around him was pitch black.

A voice cried out in the black, "lights!!!"

Torches flared to life all around… Artix recognized the place, it was Serenity's inn in Falconreach… why had he been kidnapped and brought here??? Artix attempts to stand and leave but it felt like his chair was glued to the floor with basilisk mucus, as well as his seat was glued to the seat. He was sitting at a table in the middle of the inn within clear view of everyone else in the common room. Artix then took notice of who was sitting across the small table, head resting on the wood… Vayle. His breath caught in his chest, why was she here!?!

A familiar voice got his attention, "good of you to notice her there holy boy. She's been lying there longer than you have."

It was Jake… with Bruno's head coiled around over the warrior's shoulder.

Anger tinges Artix's voice, "What did you do to her?!?"

Jake smirks, "a bit concerned for the Necromantess are we?_ I_ didn't do anything to her. This was a group operation after all."

Artix glances at Vayle, who was just starting to stir, "group operation???"

Jake nods, "yep, stand up everyone!"

All around the inn people start to stand, Artix stares around in disbelief. He saw Robina, Valencia, Reens, Yulgar, Aria, Galanoth, and… "Warlic?!?!?" Utterly disbelieving that the blue mage would involve himself in something like this.

The most powerful wizard in Lore gives Artix a shrug, "don't be angry with me Artix. Jake's plan was quite sound and to be honest… we _all_ had had it with you sulking around. All I did was enchant the chairs you two are sitting in."

Artix glares at Warlic, "enchant how?"

The blue mage responds matter-of-factly, "neither of you will be able to stand until all of us in the room are convinced that you have resolved your problems, whatever they may be."

Everyone else sits back down and resumes the conversations they were having. Artix looks over to Vayle, who was now fully awake and aware of what was going on.

Vayle was a mess of emotions inside at the moment, she was furious at Jake for orchestrating her kidnapping, but she was also grateful to the warrior for giving her this chance with Artix. It was like being on a forced date, but that was fine with her. While Artix was busy shooting glares around at all involved in Jake's plan she slipped out some lipstick and deftly applied it without a mirror, she then used her dark magic to ensure it had molded properly.

Artix finishes dishing out angry looks and turns back to her, "Vayle… you do realize what they all will want to see before we can leave right?"

She leans back, putting all of her charm on full display, "yes, what of it?"

Artix looks equally dumbfounded by both her and her reaction, "You… you're ok with all of this?!?"

She nods and he starts to stammer, "but... but… but I'm… you're…"

She leans forward and puts two fingers over the paladin's mouth, effectively silencing him, "think of it this way Artix… You'll be… keeping watch over what can't be destroyed. Protecting the darkness orb should be more than a good enough reason shouldn't it?"

Without waiting for an answer she reaches out and bodily drags Artix across the small table to her and starts to kiss him right then and there.

Jake watched Vayle drag Artix into a kiss. Artix had looked stunned for about a second before he was giving as good as he was getting. The kissing quickly escalated to… other things. Bruno's tail lashed out and wrapped around Aria's eyes while Valencia gave Ash a swift knock on the head, putting him out but causing him to fall forward into a bowl of lava glob soup.

Teresa's head was lying in his lap, "that is one thing you do have to respect about Vayle. When she sets her sights on something she will go to any lengths necessary to get what she wants."

Jake gets up and joins the rest of the crowd that was now leaving en masse, "yeah… no kidding… definitely any lengths…"

Teresa looks up at him innocently as he leads the both of them home, "would you say your… intervention, worked?"

What he had seen just before leaving flashed through his mind, "yep. It was definitely a _shocking_ success."

Teresa's innocent look is replaced with a wicked one, "well not as shocking as what I have planned for tonight. You just wait until we get home."

He looked up to the full moon above thinking, 'the full moon really does bring out the animal in all of us'. It sure did for the pair back at the inn. He guessed it was as nature stated, "opposites attract".


End file.
